The Recipe for Acing Your Interview

We all know that feeling. The sweat perspiring down our forehead, the million butterflies in our stomach, all stemming from one simple thing, a job interview. When in an interview, candidates may experience symptoms of babbling, blanking out, and fidgeting hands. In a study completed by Everest College, they found that a shocking 92% of Americans face anxiety with the knowledge of an upcoming job interview. What does this mean? First and foremost, you are not alone. First impressions are everything, and walking into a job interview with a clearly anxiety filled demeanor already puts you behind. There are plenty of methods for relieving anxiety, and while each individuals experience varies, listed below are a few that are sure to help you achieve a position as a solid and confident candidate in your interview.

Research the Industry or Company

Knowledge is power. We all worry about the questions that we may be faced with in our interview, and we can only guess or predict so many of them; one will always throw us off. When preparing for an interview, think of it like an exam for college. You must prepare and do your research to attain the knowledge that will help you pass. The more studying you do, the better your chances are of receiving a great score. During an interview, displaying your knowledge attained from simply reading a company’s “Mission” or “About us” statements automatically elevates your status as a candidate.

Eye Contact

Look your interviewer in the eye when speaking to them and be direct. Candidates that look away or down at their shoes make for an impersonal interview, and lack the small gestures which will boost a positive image. When answering an interview question with eye contact, it assures your interviewer that you are confident with your response rather than unsure. Furthermore, if an interviewer is asking about your previous positions or job experience and you are looking in a different direction, this indirectly exhibits a lack of honesty and passivity rather than surety.

Mirroring

Mirroring involves being intelligent with your body language and demeanor by subtly simulating the overall environment of your interview. Your interviewer should not feel as though you are mimicking them, but rather that you are in tune with the positive speech and language they exhibit. For instance, if you notice that your interviewer speaks with a calm tone, it would not be wise to enunciate loudly. If your interviewer seems more introverted, a bad idea would be act overpoweringly, and vice versa. This process involves connecting with your interviewer and creating a relationship, guiding the interviewer to feel that your overall persona would be a great match for the company interests. Individuals are more inclined to trust those more similar to themselves and mirroring creates fluidity in the conversation between the interviewer and candidate.

CivicMinds Recruitment works not only to place candidates in important positions, but we also prepare and create a personable relationship with candidates to guide them every step of the way in preparation of their interview. To get prepared, contact CivicMinds today.